I Am Your Friend
by Yuri J.C
Summary: Name: Annabeth C. Grade: 9 Sem-1 Report:  Self-improving: A. Good at self-defenses, getting over personal issues. Reputation: B-. Better onstage presenting than off. Romance: C. First shot at dating, never get kelp-related boyfriend. HS survival: N/A...
1. summary

**AN: Alright guys, I hate to remind you this, but this is my first official fanfic, so flames accepted. So this is an original, no gods, no demigods, no monsters, etc. etc. And the story is mostly in Annabeth's POV. I might change if there are requests, but I'm trying to keep the story on one side here. **

**I'll put up the first chapter in two or three days since I don't have experience and need time in working out the storyline. So until then… Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not, what so ever, own Percy Jackson and the Olympians in any way.**

**Full Summary:**

Annabeth Chase is a fourteen-year-old girl who is really shy and quiet. She was living a pretty much miserable life. She was bullied ever since she was in a room with kids, she was smart but so smart that people didn't like it, she had no friends, and the teachers ignored her most of the time, she was…invisible. Annabeth had watched the other girls huddle together, giggling every time someone reveled a new gossip or rumor. And they stood in such a way so that their backs acted as walls to losers who dared to interrupt their conference.

Annabeth wanted to be popular almost her entire life and she thought her big break came when her dad was offered a job in New York. Her whole family had to move and she is transferring to Goode High School. She had a plan—a plan to start her life from a different angle. She was going to say goodbye to her old boring life and start fresh. No one knew her there, no one knew what she was like before, and no one can shut her out for a reason now. Annabeth was going to be going all out for reputation.

However, the change isn't at all different. She's still stuck with her outside character—a quiet, geeky nerd girl. She met Thalia, a Goth girl who is the exact opposite of herself and exactly who she wanted to be—bold, open, and popular. She met Percy, Jason, and Nico, the three cousins; four actually, Thalia is Jason's sister but she tries her best to pretend they're not related. She met Leo, Piper, Frank, and Hazel, who had different background stories on their own. And Grover, who seems like the only person who truly gets her.

She was making progress. But all things come with a price. She was a curious girl. That means she will stop at nothing to figure out a secret. Before she knew it, she was dragged into a series of trouble. Something was seriously wrong about the group of friends she had just made. And between the conflict with another group, the only solution was to stand up for herself.

So far, Annabeth has been getting good grades on everything， and she knows that high school survival is a course she cannot afford to fail.

**So what'd you think? Am I off to a good start or… let me know your thoughts on it. Oh and please don't get mad at me if I put in some cliffhangers (I know that's mean, and I know RR does it all the time, but you gotta admit… it is fun)**

***switch to robotic voice* to leave your comments, please press this button below. —Beep—**

**~Sayuri**


	2. Chapter 1: From Frisco to NYC

**AN: OMFG… 201 hits, 190 visitors, 4 favs, 6 alerts and 2 reviews ALL ON MY VERY FIRST FANFIC! Did I mention that I love you guys? No…? Well, I said it now. **

**Thanks to LaughLoverCrystal and TheGreekGoddessOfPencils who reviewed. I really appreciate your thoughts, everyone!**

**Okay, so first chapter is up. Hope I didn't mess it up too bad.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, very sadly, own PJO in any way.**

**From Frisco to NYC**

Annabeth POV

"Annabeth, dear, are you not done packing yet?"

"Uh," I gave my duffle bag one last squeeze, making sure the zipper didn't explode from all my stuff. "Yeah, I'll be right down." And since when did Dad start calling me "dear"? He hated me. He's obviously in a good mood today. Everyone of the name of Chase should be. Dad got a new job and the whole family gets the benefit. We're all heading off to New York, the city where dreams come true…Or so they say.

I took one last look around my room. It was pretty much empty. We've already moved everything last weekend. Now it had nothing but turquoise colored wallpaper and a bed-frame. They even took the mattress. I shook my head and sighed. It's hard imagining that, within 8 hours, we would be in New York, starting a new life, which is especially tempting for me. No more—

"Hurry up! We don't have time to waste!" My stepmom, Clara, said while shooing my half-brothers, Bobby and Matthew, into their friend's van. "The flight is in 3 hours! We still need to stop for gas, checking in also takes time, you know. And you boys won't…" I stepped away from the window to avoid her ranting. Clara is not like one of those evil stepmothers you see in the fairytales. She's actually quite nice. Well, except when she's mad or in a hurry. Even my dad calls her "tiger mom".

I shouldered my bag and walked out my bedroom door. Not to be cheesy and all, but it would mean that I have turned away from my old miserable life, old school, old…Everything. Oh god, day dreamer's back.

"Annabeth," Clara said when I walked into the living room. "You're all done, right?" Without waiting for an answer, she dragged me to the door and pushed me out, making me trip down the stairs and almost crash into a flower pot. I steadied my footing at the last second. Did I mention that she does that when she's in a hurry?

"Wait in the car!" She yelled as she disappeared into the house again. Bobby and Matthew snickered when I climbed in between them. "Ha ha, you fell." Matthew said stupidly. I still couldn't believe how childish ten-year-olds can act these days.

So as usual, I sat in the back and pulled out a book that I some how cramped into my duffle bag, and ignored them.

"Haha, you fell. Haha, you fell." Bobby and Matthew said in unison. Great, it's turning into a song. I should be used to this by now, but for some reason it sounded way more annoying today. Maybe the sun was too hot for me, but it is the end of August in San Francisco. I sighed, California really is beautiful. For a second there, I felt like I might just miss this place. I've been thinking over the whole "moving project" thing multiple times, but none of this ever came across my mind.

"Haha, you fell. Haha, you fell." My brothers kept singing like the idiots that they are. Seriously, how are even they not annoyed by now? Never mind, I don't want to know. I tried to keep my attention on the book. Nothing's going to kill my mood today. Hopefully, my parents have already loaded everything and we'd be going.

Unfortunately, that didn't happen. And they kept singing their two-lined song. "Haha, you fell. Haha, you fell."

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "Shut up." I hissed at them, as quietly as I could.

Bobby's eyes widened with a mock surprise. "Annie's being mean?" he said, emphasizing the word "mean". Then they both doubled over laughing.

I was about to whack them both upside on the head when Clara climbed in. "I see we're excited today." She said, smiling and patting her sons on the head. Yep. Excited. For them to bother me the whole way.

Dad poked his head in. "You kids ready to go?" "Aye, Aye, Captain!" "I can't hear you!" "AYE, AYE, CAPTAIN!"

Yeah, they've got that SpongeBob thing going on there that I can't really understand. Sometimes a fourteen-year-old can be more mature than a forty-year-old. Who knows this world?

I just smiled. I don't want to ruin his good mood. He's been down ever since…well, ever since…Mom.

Luckily, my parents' friend made the wise decision of suggesting that we should be moving.

Soon, we were on the highway, zipping past cars and made a risky turn past a truck, which caused the beefy truck driver to curse at us in English, Spanish and three other colorful languages.

I stared at the trees and buildings outside that are passing us by like mixed shadows. I ditched my book around five minutes after we left our old house—which I didn't even take a last look at—because Clara caught me reading and almost screeched at me to put it down. "Your eyes are like treasures!" she cried, "Don't waste it on such a little thing like reading in the car!" Then she'd turned back and mumbled something about spoiled children.

So instead, I have to stare at mobs of useless colors.

It wasn't that much of a deal. My heart wasn't in the pages anyways. All I could think about is my plan—a plan to become a brand new person. I'm starting my freshman year in high school in two days. Not going to lie, my elementary years weren't exactly bright. I was shy, quiet, and unpopular; ever since my first day of Senior Kindergarten—when Kristie, the now most respected and feared graduating girl of Seaway Elementary, asked me my name. I had thought I was pretty loud. But it came out with less than a squeak. So you see, from then on, I had no friends, I had no partners for Phys. Ed, no one would be my reading-buddy. The only person who would talk to me is Grover, the crippled librarian. I smiled at the memory. Now that I think of it, I'm actually going to miss him. I went to the library a lot. Not just because I liked to read, but also because it was the only place where nobody would criticize you, the books didn't talk. The only place I could get away from my miserable life.

Grover had strike up a conversation with me, which I would say, was a pretty big accomplishment. Whenever I talk to people, there's this jittery feeling in my stomach that I can't get rid of. I tried to think of words to say, but nothing ever comes. But Grover started giving me book suggestions. "Wow," he'd said when we first met, "You sure are smart to read those big words." I was six then, so I was kind of stunned at his crutches. He caught me staring.

"Oh, these?" he said, lifting one up, "These are called 'crutches'. They help you stand." My eyes grew even wider. "You can't stand?" I'd exclaimed like it was the biggest crime ever. For once, I was actually loud, or loud enough to hear.

He chuckled. "No. Well, I used to stand perfectly fine…when I was your age." He smiled, almost apologetically, at me. "Why?" I asked. "What happened?"

"I can't remember. It was a long time ago." he said, his green eyes dimmed, "All I remember is that the kids at school didn't like it. They thought I was some kind of freak for not having two working legs."

I didn't know what I was feeling then, maybe sad for him, or maybe glad that some one is going through the same thing as me.

"Don't be sad," I said, reaching up to pat his hand, surprising myself a little. "I'm a freak, too—a quiet nerd that no one likes."

He looked surprised, too. But he smiled and ruffled my hair. "Sure. How about we be freaks together?" I grinned, for the first time, I actually felt good about school.

But I still can't escape the teasing of the older kids, Kristie and her "girls" were always ganging up on me. "You'll never become one of us, nerd." She'd said, smirking and pushing me to the ground. I wanted to talk back but I can't seem to get the words out of my mouth. I felt like the whole world was watching, anticipating for a mistake. That's what I'm trying to change here. My plan was to be more bold and outgoing, to be a girl that people would like, a girl that could make people laugh, instead of having them laugh at her stupid-ness. I'm smart, right? I could change that. I can—

"Alright, kiddos," Dad said, sliding open the van door. I could hear planes landing somewhere near. "Get out, we're already late"

I looked at my watch. It's been an hour since we left the house. I've been so into my thoughts I didn't even realize that an hour has passed.

I pushed myself out of my seat. My legs were sore and wobbly. So naturally, I tripped over my own foot and made a total fool out of myself. Bobby and Matthew snickered while striking up their song again. Great.

"Annabeth," my dad called from the back of the van. "Don't just stand there and play with your brothers. Come help us with the luggage."

"Like I'll ever want to play with them," I grumbled.

The airport was a rush. We sprinted to the check-in counters as fast as we could with seven huge packs—only three of which have wheels, by the way—and got there while the worker was just closing the lane. "You should've known better with three kids." He said while eyeing our luggage. It was kind of rude. But I guessed that we were bothering him at his break time anyways.

The security check guards wanted to confiscate Matthew's toy gun. "It could possibly contain radioactive metal." They said. My dad tried to argue with them, but Matthew had snatched his gun and fired a sponge bullet at the guards, knocking off one of their hats, which didn't help the mood at all. The guard confiscated the toy gun and walked away while grumbling something about hyperactive kids.

I was relieved when we finally got on the plane. I didn't know how we made it through, but we did. I was actually glad…until I saw the seating plan. And again, I was stuck between my brothers. "To keep them from trouble," Clara had said. Like they'll ever listen to me.

There is one good thing with my idiotic brothers; and it's how predictable they are. When I tried to go across the aisle, Bobby stuck out his foot to trip me. So I tried my best to step on it. Long story short, they never tried that again; although they did spill orange juice on me "by accident". That was nasty.

After 4 long hours of flight, I thought I would pass out. My ears were still ringing, my clothes still sticky from the orange juice.

But I've never been happier.

New York was beautiful, especially at night. As we drove along the highway, I started humming a tune unconsciously while watching the street lights. "New York, concrete jungles where dreams are made of; there's nothing you can't do. Now you're in New York…"

"Annabeth," Bobby suddenly said, making me jump a little. "Are you singing?" At the last part, he and Matthew both stifled a laugh. Then I realized that my parents were also looking at me amused.

My face started to heat up. "No." I whispered, embarrassed. "I'm…not…"

"Oh, Annie's singing, Annie's singing!" They chanted. "Come on! Sing a song for us!"

I didn't know what happened—maybe I've been putting up with them for too long today, or maybe it's the fact that I'm in New York now—but I snapped at them.

"No!" I yelled in their faces. "Shut up!"

I quickly covered my mouth with one hand. What did I just do? That was not Annabeth. The whole car went silent, except the cab driver, who was whistling and kept his eyes on the road like nothing happened.

Bobby and Matthew looked at each other like the world just tipped. They mumbled a quick apology and turned to play with their fingers.

So that's how you control your bothers, huh? Should've done that a long time ago. I sat back, feeling proud of myself. Maybe I can change after all; my plan at school is going to work out just fine. And then the feeling changed. I felt like I've just committed murder, or even worse. I was not the goody-goody sister that I should be. I looked at my parents, who have turned around to talk among themselves. But I could've sworn that my dad looked disappointed.

The apartment was nothing compared to our single family house in Cali. But to me, it's a thousand times better.

It was on the seventeenth floor. And my room had a perfect view of the west Manhattan skyline. After we all settled in, I closed my door and just stood there, staring out the window. Am I really here? I thought to myself. Can I really be a brand new Annabeth? No one knew me. At least I had Grover back then. Now I have no one.

I set my alarm clock to 7 am. Orientation is tomorrow. I have to make my statement clear. If my plan fails, it will be worse than ever before.

**Oh my god that took a long time. *phew **

**Anyways, I've decided to put Grover as just a friend in her old school. Adding him into the storyline would just make it messier than it already is. Don't worry. I'm not writing him out. You'll see why I made him like that in a few chapters.**

**So any suggestions…? I really need some.**

**I'm not sure how the Percy/Thalia/Jason thing is going to work out but it WILL. I promise. =]**

**And if any weird couple pairings come up, it's not my fault. I'm just going with the flow. O.0**

**As for the background stories…I'm working on it. I'll try to fit in as much info from the books as possible for hazel, Frank, Leo, and Piper.**

**Soooo… again, review! Please review! I want to know what you guys think!**

**Until next time!**

**~Sayuri =]**


	3. Chapter 2: Changes? Maybe

**AN: Second chappie up! Thanks to all you wonderful readers who reviewed and added to alerts and favorites. **

**And to WeirdButCool: "Is Chiron going to appear as the Latin teacher?" OMG, thanks for reminding me! Yes. He is going to be a teacher at Goode, as Mr. Brunner. I'm also adding in two more awesome teacher from my own experience!**

**Oh, ****and ****I ****also ****decided ****to ****let ****Leo ****and ****Piper ****come ****in ****near ****the ****end ****of ****the ****book. ****I****'****m ****sorry ****for ****those ****of ****you ****who ****wanted ****to ****see ****them! ****It****'****s ****for ****a ****good ****cause ****really! ****Sorry, ****sorry!**

**Oh and this isn't like a love-on-first-sight percabeth story, that only happens later. I like it better when they have a progress to show their chemistry instead of just being like "I love you." "I love you, too." -kiss- Done. And they didn't get along at first in the books anyways.**

**Anyways****…****Take it away****!**

**Disclaimer: ****I****'****m ****not ****Rick ****Riordan. ****Enough ****said.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

**Changes…? Maybe**

I lost confidence as soon as I saw the school.

Not that it looked bad. It was actually quiet an impressive building. It was a massive red block building with two smaller side buildings attached. And…is that a pool gym? What I meant were all the people there. Teachers, parents with their kids, even junior and seniors with student council t-shirts. Hugs were exchanged everywhere. Great, I'll just be in the corner then. I shook my head. No, that's just what I needed. No one knew me, So that I can start fresh. But...high school really is different. I was just standing at the front door, staring nothing. This is it, I thought. For a second, I was afraid that the jittery butterflies are going to come back again. So I took in a deep breath, and pushed open the front door.

The inside looked even bigger than the outside, if possible. Did I mention that I have an obsession for architecture? Well now you know. The long hallway was filled students, are they all in grade 9? Some of them looked old enough to be a junior.

"Everyone!" A kid from the student council yelled over the sea of people. "Gather in the main gym, please! In the main gym!"

The crowd started to part. Some people were going to the left, some to the right, while some just looked confused. I looked around for signs and labels. They should at least put up something for orientation/registration day, but even if there were any, the crowd of lost kids are enough to block them. I heard orders being passed around, but no one paid any attention. They were too busy running in to each other and making wise predictions about where the gym could be. Idiots.

Fortunately, a supervisor came and showed us the way before anything got too out of hand. And before the student council kids start pulling their hair out.

As I walked along, I checked my registration form again. Annabeth Chase, Grade: 9, Registration Fee: $35.00. I paused at the last part. Crud.

I forgot to ask Dad for the money. How could I? I stomped my foot in frustration, earning a few weird looks. I cleared my throat, trying to regain my posture and kept walking. How did I forget? I never forget anything! Should I call him? But it'll be too late when he gets here. I was so into my thoughts I didn't even notice that I already came into the gym where everyone is gathering. I also didn't notice the figure coming towards me until I ran straight into it.

"Oof!" I lost my balance and fell back, while the other person just stumbled.

I sat up, my head spinning.

"Gotta watch where you're goin', man." A deeper voice said. I looked up, and it was a girl standing in front of me. I guessed this was what you call a Goth girl here. She had spiky black hair that went to her shoulders and electrifying blue eyes that you just can't stare into. She wore all black and a shirt that read DEATH TO BARBIE. I wondered what Barbie did to offend her.

"Um,"I mumbled, getting up. "Sorry..." I mentally face palmed. What was that? I felt my face reddening so i turned away and started picking up my things that I had dropped everywhere.

Apparently, the girl noticed that. She raised an eyebrow. "Are you new here?"

"Well," I said, picking my words carefully. "Everyone is new here, right? It's a high school..." I trailed off at the end, waiting.

She showed no emotion at first, just stood there studying me. Then she burst out laughing. I stared at her. "What..." People are throwing us weird looks now. I wanted to die under all the attention, but Goth Girl didn't seem to care.

"Yep, you're definitely new," She grinned. "because you don't seem to know who I am."

I blinked. People were staring at us now. Embarrassment and anger started fogging up my mind. Who did this girl think she was?

"Who does this girl think she is?" She said in a squeaky mimicking voice, startling me. Then she chuckled. "I know what you're thinking. That was most newbies' reaction when I told them that."

My face was as red as a tomato. I didn't care who this girl was, but I didn't like her. "You... I'm not-"

She just waved me off. "It's fine. Save it. I don't need to hear it." Then she seemed to notice the crowd for the first time. "What are y'all staring at?" She yelled, "Shoo. Mind your own business."

Surprisingly, they all listened.

She turned to me, her smile suddenly friendly. "I guess you'll need someone to show you around this place. And to give you a history lesson."

"I...guess?"

She smirked. "I like you." She said like she was hiring a new recruit for her army. "I'm Thalia, by the way-_just_ Thalia. Those who called me by my other name are either slaughtered or had thunder struck them dead."

Wonderful. But I actually believed it-seeing as how the other kids seem to cower and duck around her.

I cleared my throat. "I'm Annabeth...Chase."

"Well, _Annabeth, _welcome to my Goode High School." Thalia said dramatically. Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

* * *

><p>I basically spent the entire orientation listening to Thalia's "history lesson". Aka. her life story.<p>

Apparently, the area of students who goes to Goode are mostly from two elementary schools: Marie-Weather PS and Yancy Academy. She was from Marie-Weather. "Where all the cool kids are from." Thalia said. And she was the Queen of that place. Everyone knew her. She said that if anyone who had been in this school area for more than three days and didn't know her, they should seriously consider a mental intelligibility check.

I could swear to god right now, I have never met anybody that full of themselves as her. But I supposed that all she said was true, although exaggerated a few hundred times.

She also told me about her "people". I was trying to listen to the student body president talk about the different clubs that they had, so I didn't paying attention to her. But I did catch a few names-Luke, Percy, Jason, Nico, a girl who shows up sometimes at lunch (I forgot her name), Hazel, and some Asian dude.

"You should've been there that time when Jason got dared to eat a stapler." She said while laughing hysterically. "It was hilarious! And he still had the scar!" I had no choice but to laugh along. I've never had one of these "cool girl" conversations before, so I didn't know much to do except copy what she was doing.

"Well, it probably wasn't hilarious for him. Ah-ha..." I replied nervously. Thalia paused for a second, and I thought I was going to end up like the kids who called her by her other name. But instead, she just clapped me on the back.

"I like you." She said for the tenth time in twenty-eight minutes. "Thanks, did I mention that?" I mumbled to myself. It was a good thing she didn't hear it.

"But..." She started again. "You do seem a little shy..." I almost panicked. Am I really that obvious? "Really? Well, maybe it was because-"

"Alright, thank you, Nikki." The principal said, taking over the mic. "Another round of applause for our student body president!" I unconsciously clapped my palms together. Thalia was really talkative. I was officially dazed with her colorful choice of words.

"We would now start our registration. Would parents please send their children to the correct check-in lane. A to F is over there on the right..."

I suddenly snapped out of my daydream trend. The money! What am I going to do for the thirty-five dollars? I looked around, but Thalia had disappeared. Probably going to meet her "gang" somewhere. Good, didn't want her here anyways.

Trying my best not to freak out, I frantically looked around for a teacher. Maybe I could convince them to let me hand in the form and bring the money on the first day of school.

"Hey."

Someone clapped me on the shoulders, nearly making me jump.

"Thalia!" I exclaimed, then toned down my voice. "Where did you go?"

She frowned. "Where did _you_ go? Rachel came and I was just talking to her when you vanished."

I just stared at her," Huh?"

"Did you even notice where you were going?" She rolled her eyes. "You were like, zoned out."

"I was not." Then I noticed my surroundings. I was right between the G-K and A-F check-in lane. And I had wondered across half the double-gym filled with niners. Wow. "Well... What are you doing here then?" I asked.

She looked at me funny. "To register, of course. Did you think I was just wondering around being bored?"

"Right..." I almost slapped myself for being an idiot. Then something clicked in my head. Maybe I could borrow some money from Thalia. But... I just met her, would she be nice for once in her life? I hesitated. "Um... Thalia, you know the registration fee?"

"Yeah."

"Well... Um, I kind of left it at home so... Can I... Would you..." My face was burning now. My voice was softer than a fly. But she seemed to get the point.

"So you just want money. I get it. It happens. But... I'm not sure I have enough for two..." She said, checking her pockets. I was hopeful. Please have enough, please have enough...

"Aw, dang it!" She threw up her hands. "I'm sorry, I don't have enough. But... I guess there's one more option." She turned to the A-G section and called, loud. "RACHEL!" She frantically waved at someone I couldn't see, motioning for them to come over. "Annabeth, prepare yourself."

* * *

><p>A minute later, a redhead girl showed up. Rachel was not who I expected to be at all. In fact, the exact opposite.<p>

"What's up?" She greeted, smiling. "I'm Rachel. And you're Annabeth, I know. Thalia told me about you. I'm guessing she mentioned me a bit. Well, I'm not that big of a deal. I just show up sometimes at lunch, cause, you know, I have my own friends and the arts is a lot to take care of. Oh and did I mention I'm going to run for the president of the Art Society? I heard Ms. Gibbons say they needed a new one because the old president graduated. Speaking of which, are you planning on joining any clubs? Cause I heard they started some new ones this year..."

Thalia had to tell her that I will not be joining any if I can't get in the school because I'm missing my registration fee. I was thankful. That girl can fire a whole hour of words without taking a single breath. I decided that I should listen to Thalia's warnings from now on.

"I have twenty-five dollars here." Rachel said, picking at her pockets, "But that's all I got. Sorry."

"It's something." Thalia snatched the money and handed them to me. I mumbled a thanks and out of nowhere, a Greenday tune started playing. "Oh, gotta take that." Then she disappeared into the crowd.

I thought it was best to excuse myself before Rachel start her gunfire again.

* * *

><p>As I waited in line at the A-F check-in lane, I rehearsed what I was going to say about the money. The twenty-five dollars could be a promise right? I can bring the rest on the first day.<p>

"Next."

I gulped and stepped forward.

"Hi," The girl said, "Your form please." I handed her the form, and watched as she scanned for my name on the program. I was silently praying that she would forget the"requiring fee" column.

"And your thirty-five dollars...Annabeth?"

"Uh..." I was lot for a second, what was I supposed to say again? Oh god.

The girl raised her eyebrows. "No money? You forgot didn't you?" I slightly nodded, keeping my head down like a kid who broke the flower pot.

She smiled. "It's fine. Just bring it on Wednesday." I breathed a sigh of relief. That was close. "But, you'll have to get your schedule later at the office. Your locker will be given to you on the second day so... Try to keep everything with you."

I blinked. What? And to think for a second I was happy there. "B-but," I stammered, "I have twenty-five dollars here..." I knew the first day was the most important day to make your first impression. So I can't waste my time there. And ironically, a guy who was coming out of the G-K lane bumped me on the shoulder by accident. "Sorry." He muttered and turned away.

The girl only glanced at the money. "That... won't do much. You can leave it here, but you'll still not be a registered student at Goode." Then seeing the panic in my eyes, she quickly added. "Or you can find a friend here who can loan you some money."

Right. But who? I frantically looked around for Thalia, but she wan't anywhere.

"I... well, I can... Maybe if..." I started choking up my words, trying to ask her if I can just get the things first then I can hand the money in. Always more than one solution right? Are they really that thick-headed? But she was getting impatient.

"Alright, if you're going to waste my time, you should've noticed the line first." She said angrily. "It's get me your ten dollars or go."

"Here you go." Said a voice behind me. A hand came in and laid the cash on the counter. "Now she has it."

I turned and was surprised to find a stranger behind me, and even more surprised when I recognized him as the guy who bumped into me earlier.

The girl eyed us suspiciously, as if we're part of a crime. But she took the money anyways. I guess the line behind us was enough to get the pressure. "Fine. You can go. Your tour group number is 16. Next."

I stumbled away from the counter. I looked up, hoping to thank the stranger who lend me his money, I owe him after all. But he was gone.

"Would students please gather at the exit for the tour!"

* * *

><p>"So what, he just gave you the cash and went?"<p>

I nodded. Thalia just caught up with me after she supposedly went to the bathroom for half-an-hour. We were in the parking lot, after the tour of the school, waiting for our parents to pick us up. Well, I am. Thalia called her friend to pick her up. She's friends with junior guys? Unbelievable. And the school itself was just like a maze. I managed to make it through somehow.

"Wow, nice guy." She said after a moment of silence.

Again, I nodded. I wasn't sure what to make of him. All I know was that he had dark hair. I didn't even see his face.

"And did he say anything about owing him and stuff?"

I shook my head this time.

She sighed. "You're too quiet. You know that?"

I almost laughed. How could I not? But this was something a girl like her would never understand. Now that I've thought of it, Thalia and I are like negatives and positives, completely opposite... But seem to like each other anyways.

Thalia studied me carefully. "You look smart. Not... I mean, no offense, but... Are you like a nerd or something?"

Of course she would think that. I guess had this outside character that I just can't get rid of. But for some reason, I did feel offended.

"Yeah," I replied, locking eyes with her. "Anything wrong?"

Her eyes flashed. And I thought she was going to strike lighting on me. Instead she smirked. "I like you." She slapped me on the back, making me choke a little. "Nerds are not the best type in high school... But fit-able."

I must have looked surprised, because she laughed. "Oh don't be too surprised." She playfully punched me. "Blondes are in anyways."

I pretended to be hurt and punched her back. That was just so "Thalia" of her. For a minute, we just sat there on the bench, punching back and forth.

A car horn broke the moment. Thalia sat up.

"That's my ride." She said, grabbing her bag, "See ya' in school... Later, I think." And ran off towards the black vehicle.

Not bad for day one? Maybe... A quiet girl can be accepted just as well here. Hmph.

* * *

><p><strong>That...took...FOREVER! but it's up so anyways.<strong>

**As usual, PLEEAAAAAAAAAASE review! It means a lot to me. Review!**

**There's going to be a surprise character comeback next chapter. I bet 92.9% of you can't guess who it is. Hint: He or she is NOT a demigod in the books. That was wayyy to big of a give-away. I think 70% can guess it now...TAT**

**So...Review! Love you guys!**

**~Sayuri =]**


	4. Chapter 3: Of Teachers and Craziness

**AN: Heyyyyy guyzzzzz!**

**It's Sayuri here. I finally understand how hard it is to write one chapter. It took me five days to type three thousand words. FIVE FREAKING DAYS! So anyways, my normal update time from now on would be Thursday and Sundays. Maybe Saturday if I have time.**

**So I promised a surprise character comeback last chapter, and told you that he or she is not a demigod. And another hint was in Thalia's "history lesson", if you were paying attention. ;) Just so you know, you're not going to like this person.**

**So, the character is~-drum roll-~I'm not telling you until you read it! Sorry, I'm just evil like that. (copyright from RR's blog, pisses you off, doesn't it?)**

**Luke is back! Woo! And no he is not the surprise char. I'm just happy~~~**

**And Mr. Brunner is not the Latin teacher**

**Just to let you know, Thank you for all the reviews, favorites and alerts. I love you guys so much.**

**Disclaimer: Still waiting for RR to give a feed back...**

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><p><strong>Of Teachers and Craziness<strong>

What is school, for real?

I bet no one has ever asked themselves that question. Most people would say that it's the place where kids go to learn things. Where they have classes and stuff.

_Wrong._

School is like a televised reality show. With the cool girls and jocks and the lowly unpopular kids and nerds and geeks and all that stereo types. When you see something like that on TV, it's actually partly true. And not just some random director's cut. The craziness do exist. Although I doubt that the teachers swear and run away screaming when some kid dropped a test tube of chemicals on the floor...

...Until now.

High school is a brand new experience. You're not looking down anymore like the way you did in grade 8. Other people are looking down at you now, and calling you a "niner". It's frustrating, but you have to get used to it.

Take my first day for example. I finally got into my new homeroom, after a few wrong turns at the music department. The first thing that came into my mind was the awkwardness. Everyone was sitting as far away from each other as possible. Well, of course that made me feel awkward, too. But I guess the teachers have already been through this situation a couple of times, and came prepared.

"Alright, class." My first period teacher, Mr. Brunner, head of the Drama department, said walking in. Or should I say _wheeled_ in? The guy looked about his fifties. He had a bushy brown beard and eyes that had a strange twinkle in them. **(AN: he sounds like Dumbledore...o.0) **Like he can take one look at you and know what you had for breakfast this morning. And most importantly, he was in a wheel chair. We were all staring at him when he came in. He just chuckled like this happens all the time. Which it probably does.

"You're probably all wondering how I can teach drama in a wheel chair." He said. "When it's all about standing and performing. But it can also be speaking and letting out emotions and connecting with others. Now I'm not here to make you all actors. I'm here to help you feel comfortable in public."

I saw some nodding at this. I was silently agreeing with him. That's exactly what I needed.

"Which is why I want you all to find a partner-and it has to be someone you don't know yet." He added when a girl tried to grab her friend. "And tell them about yourself. You have five minutes. Try to find out as much as you can."

Oh great, it's testing time. I looked around the room hoping to find someone who was alone. Most people had a partner, so I had to move fast. Then I spotted a kid sitting in the corner with his face buried in his hands. I walked up to him and cleared my throat. But he didn't budge at all. I carefully tapped his shoulder. He looked up slowly.

"What..." He muttered like he was half asleep.

"Um," I said quietly. "Will you be my partner?"

He turned and mumbled something I couldn't hear. I stared at him. "I'm sorry?"

He didn't respond. I suddenly realized that he was snoring. I almost wanted to step on him, but instead I tapped his shoulder again. This time he jumped straight up, almost knocking his chair over. I stumbled back. " Uh... Are you okay?"

He shook his head a few times before focusing his eyes on me. "What do you want?" He asked.

I resisted the urge to kick him in the head. And since he's about half a head shorter than me, and I've been doing gymnastics my whole life, it should be easy. "I... Where you even listening? Mr. Brunner asked us to get into pairs with someone you don't know. And I asked you to be my partner! Is that a good enough explanation for you? If I were you, I wouldn't fall asleep at the very first ten minutes of my freshman year!"

I blunted out the whole thing without taking a breath. Then I covered my mouth with one hand. That's another thing I do. I can't control myself if I get really pissed. Uh-Oh. I had twenty pairs of eyes on me now. I slowly sunk down into a seat._ I'm sorry, but he was being rude to me!_ I didn't even need to look up to know that the guy was red-faced with embarrassment.

Mr. Brunner cleared his throat. "Well, I see someone is getting dramatic for the year, very hard-working." He said, breaking the tension. Everyone laughed and went back to their own business.

I just sat there. I didn't know what to do. Should I apologize? No, he was rude to me at first. I heard a voice speak behind me. "Fine." I turned to see the guy hiding in the corner again. "I'll be your partner." I blinked.

"Uh, sure." I managed.

* * *

><p>I was pretty sure all the teachers had experience in the getting-to-know-each-other games, because it went just like it should go. I learned that the guy's name was Nico di Angelo. He was from Marie-Weather, the same school Thalia went to. But when I mentioned that, his face darkened. I noticed that they were actually very alike. They had the same scary look when they are mad, they both dressed in all black, they both seemed to like Greenday (he had a Greenday shirt). And I didn't even need to ask if his favorite color's black.<p>

"Is that like a variation of Athena?" He asked when I told him that my name was Annabeth. I was surprised. Shocked even. I hadn't thought much of it myself.

"Um, yes, I guess. My parents are very into mythology."

"To be wise and always has a plan, right?"

"Yeah..." I studied him carefully. He was definitely smarter than he gives. Just by chance, he could be a good friend. "So... What do you have this semester?"

He shrugged. "Drama, Math...something I forgot, I don't know. Can't remember." I shook my head unbelievably.

"Is that all you can say?" I asked, "Just a few words for every question?"

"What do you want me to say then?"

"I don't know, something more about yourself? All I got was that you're Emo."

He looked offended. "I am not Emo. I just...like the color black a lot."

"So... Not Emo, but Emo?" I suggested jokingly.

He put up his hands in defeat. "Whatever you say, Miss Know-it-all."

I'll admit, I cracked up a little at that. Miss Know-it-all? That's the lamest and oldest thing you can find in a old school joke book. I couldn't see his face, but I knew he was smiling.

* * *

><p>"So... tell me about this new guy you met."<p>

I rolled my eyes at that. Thalia kept bugging me to tell her about Nico. She thinks he's some kind of cool character for being Emo. That's right, he is Emo as long as I'm alive.

"Seriously, do you try to hit on every guy you see? Or in this case, hear of? You don't even know his name." I said, picking up a slice of pizza. "Why are you here anyways? Don't you have your own friends to hang out with?"

"I am. You're my friend and I'm hanging out with you." I raised an eyebrow. She sighed. "Most of them got 3-C lunch, I'm basically a loner at 3-A lunch."

"So you came to me. That makes sense." I was just sitting alone at an empty table, trying to enjoy my pizza when Thalia popped up beside me. And scared the crap out of me. I didn't even see her coming.

"Hey, don't get me wrong. You are my friend. And Rachel sometimes shows up..."

I just tuned her out. A girl like her just takes anyone who talks as her friend. Then I saw her waving to someone. "Luke! Jason! Nico! Over here!"

I paused. _Nico?_ Of course, this girl knows everyone.

The three guys who were just coming in with their lunch trays came over to our table. One had blonde hair and blue eyes, he was pretty handsome, but I was a little freaked out at his scar. There was this huge ragged scar down the side of his face, like a bear had slashed it with claws. The other kid beside Nico also had blonde hair, but his eyes... I looked at Thalia, and looked back to him. Their eyes were so alike it's creepy-the same lightning blue that says "don't mess with me.

"Guys, what took you so long!" Thalia started chewing them out before they could set their trays down. I caught Nico's eye and gave him an apologetic smile. He just shrugged like it happened a lot. Which it probably did. "Second period ended ten minutes ago! You," She looked pointedly at the boy beside Nico, "Jason, promised that you'd be here if you had A lunch. But what did you do? You left me here like a loner! You guys are so mean, I swear-"

"Hey, Thals," The creepy guy with the scar interrupted, studying me intensely, making me uncomfortable. "Maybe you can introduce the new girl first, after that you can babble all you want and we can pretend we're listening?"

I blushed while Thalia rolled her eyes. "Luke." Then she cleared her throat and stated matter-of-fact-ly, "Alright people. May I introduce to you, the lovely Miss Annabeth-" She paused and whispered to me, "What's your last name?"

"Chase-"

"The lovely Miss Annabeth Chase!"

Luke and Jason started clapping dramatically, and Nico shook his head like he couldn't believe this world. I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Now back to the business." Thalia picked up her speech. "You guys are so mean for ditching me. So what are your reasons for-"

"The line-up for lunch is insane!" A familiar voice said from behind. Then I felt someone slip in beside me. I turned and almost had a seizure. It was...

"Percy!" Thalia exclaimed. "You scared the crap out of me! Don't just pop up like that!" Says the girl who did it five minutes ago.

"You..." I stuttered, "Y-you're the guy who gave me the ten dollars on registration day...right?"

"Hold on," Thalia cut in, "You guys know each other?"

"Yes," I snapped at her, she was really annoying. "And I know Nico, too. Is that a problem for you?"

"You know Nico?" She looked at Nico, who waved casually and went back to picking at his fries. "Wait...So, you're the kid from...Oh my gosh!" She made a gagging face. "I can't believe I thought you were cool! But, you take drama?" Luke and Jason were also staring at him ridiculously.

Nico shrugged. "Better than Art."

"You..._ you_ taking drama..." Thalia burst out laughing, but I couldn't stick around to hear what she has to say. My real problem is to my left. I turned to Percy, who was gulping down chocolate milk, failing to ignore the attention. I scrambled the ten dollars out of my bag and held it out to him timidly. "Um, I still owe you ten bucks."

He almost choked on the milk. "No...no, it's fine. Uh..."

"Annabeth."

"Annabeth, yeah." He sputtered. "I just thought you needed it at moment, so..."

"So... you don't want it?"

"No, I want it!" He blunted before looking embarrassed. Luke and Jason, who'd been watching the whole time, started snickering. "I-I mean, I didn't think you remember it. And I didn't think I'd meet you again-not that I was trying to avoid you..."

I raised an eyebrow. He was definitely at a loss for words. Even if he doesn't, he's got the logic of a piece of seaweed. I laid the bill on the table. "Take it if you want. I just don't want to owe anyone."

I ate my pizza quietly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him eyeing the money before taking it silently and putting it away.

* * *

><p>I wasn't sure if Thalia was paying good attention on the tour when I wasn't, or she's just a hell of a genius at directions.<p>

She lead us through mazes of hallways without hesitating a single bit. Well, except for talking to her friends along the way. When we finally got to the science lab, my head was spinning while she looked perfectly normal. We had third and fourth period together. And I was glad.

"How do you know which way to go? I kept getting lost." I said as we fell in our seats.

"Well, I'd be screwed if I didn't. A year should be long enough for anyone to learn."

"Wait...A year?"

"Yeah," She said, laying out her binders, "I'm a sophomore."

"You're..." I was very much surprised. I did think she looked older when I first met her but...really? "Oh wow, that explains a lot. but...what were you going at registration on Monday?"

"Oh it's...student council. I was just there for the attendance...and I left."

I watched her carefully. There was something she wasn't telling me. I didn't want to force her, so I just went to read my book.

"Hey, Thals."

I looked up, and the ugliest girl I've ever seen in make-up edition stood before us. She had bright red hair, and freckles over her face that looked like they were sprayed on Cheetos. She also had two girls behind her looking like the make-up edition of owls.

"Nancy Bobofit." Thalia spat her name out like it was poison.

The girl smirked like she was satisfied. "Long time, eh? I've missed you over the summer. Did your brother finally decide to come here? He and his little friends tried to prank us last year, almost killed our party! That little son of a-"

"Leave him out of this." Thalia growled. If I were in Nancy's position right now, I would bolt for the exit. But I tried to rewind her words. Thalia has a brother?

"Oh, well." Nancy shrugged like it was no big deal. "I got my revenge. They'll never come near us again. I don't hold anything against you. All is fair."

"It's not fair." Thalia suddenly stood up. I unconsciously scooted away from her. "All they did was throw off a few water balloons and you called the cops and almost got them arrested!"

"They made the first wrong move. Now, I'm going all out this year to win and you," Nancy leaned in closer. "You _will_ lose or it's out." That seemed to strike a sour point. Thalia looked like she was about to slap her. I wanted to call a stop to this but the words seemed to be stuck in my throat.

_RRRRINNNNNNGGGGG _

I let out a breath. Saved by the bell.

Nancy glared at Thalia before turning to me. "Good luck with, uh... That." She nodded to Thalia before heading out the door.

I would've sworn I saw steam rising out of Thalia.

* * *

><p>"Who was that?" I asked as we walked out of third period.<p>

"Nancy Bobofit." Thalia said with distaste, "That sneaky, no good little bi-"

"Okay," I cut off before she could say anymore. "So... who is she and why does she hate you so much?"

"Remember on the first day I told you that there were two feeder schools for Goode?"

"Yeah...?"

"She was from Yancy Academy. She's got this theory on how the world is supposed to run in her opinion, and she's, well, she's evil to the core. She bullies everyone around. We both ran for grade nine rep last year. She blackmailed people into voting for her. But I ended up winning the election anyways."

"And she's hated you ever since." I guessed. "But what did she say about your brother? Why did..." I trailed off, seeing the look on her face. For a second, her eyes flashed, but she shook her head and sighed.

"I didn't want to tell you my last name... It was partly because of that. Well..."She glanced at her watch. "Oh, shoot. Two minutes to class. Hurry up! Come on, We've got gym!"

I pondered. What was she going to say? Why did Nancy almost get her brother arrested? What does she mean by "lose or it's out"?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: OMG! Finished! Late...but finished!<strong>

**I swear, doc upload is the crappiest crap thing in the world. I typed two thousand words... And it deleted it ALL! I was like asdfghjkl;'...**

**Sorry about the cliffie! But I was just going with it! Really!**

**Nancy's back y'all! Her comeback is going to make this plot a LOT easier... phew**

**ANyways, review please ! See if you can reach 15 by next chapter!**

**Peace out!**

**~Sayuri =]**


	5. Chapter 4: Friends At Goode FAG Day

**AN: What's up guys, thanks for all your reviews! Love getting your thoughts on this! See, it wasn't that hard...**

**So here are the results for now:**

**Thalico: 11**

**Thuke: 1**

**Percabeth:_ No freaking DUH! This is a percabeth story people, I didn't leave them out!_**

**Jasper (Jason/Piper): 10**

**Jeyna (Jason/Reyna): 1**

**Frank/Hazel: 3**

**Leo/Piper: 1**

**Keep voting! You might change your mind!**

**And to Towerprepfan: Yes, I totally see your logic ;) I'll try to use what happens.**

**Anyways...Who thought the cliffie was weird? I know I did. I read it over and it sounded rushed. Sorry about that...**

**On with the story!**

**Disclaimer: If I had three wishes... One of them would be to own PJO...**

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><p><strong>Friends. At. Goode. (F.A.G. Day)<strong>

Turns out, Thalia's "history lesson" was only part of the deal. There's a _lot_ more background story to it.

Especially the part about her certain relatives. Why is it so much of a deal that she wouldn't tell people her last name? What did her brother actually do? And even more ironically, why did only Nancy Bobofit know about it if they supposedly "killed their party" and so many people were there when it happened? I tried to talk to Nico in Drama. He almost jumped when I asked him. Hmm, another great way to wake him up before announcements.

"Wha-what do you know?" He stammered as he frantically brushed his hair over his eyes, trying to regain his posture. I frowned, this was not the Mr. Cool Guy I met on the first day.

"Um, well," I started hesitantly, "I met Nancy... Bobofit,"-his eyes flashed at the name-"And...she said something about...Thalia's brother getting arrested. And Thalia also mentioned later that it was part of the reason why she didn't tell me her last name. But we didn't have time to talk about it. So I was wondering if you know anything about it-if you don't want to say it, that's fine. But I just really need to know-"

Nico made a stop gesture with his hand. "I never knew you could rant longer than Thalia."

"So do you know anything about it...? Because it looks like you do."

He was going to say something when Mr. Brunner rolled up in his wheel chair. "I see everything is working well here? No questions from the script? None?"

We were working on this scene we were paired up for, and yes, a project on the the fifth day of school, how nice.

"No, nothing, um..."

"If you need anything, tell me." _Yes, please, some answers_.

I nodded and he winked at me before strolling away. I got confused. Did he know what I was thinking? He does look like someone who can read minds.

"What were you saying?" I turned back to Nico. He only stared at me with his cold eyes. Man, if looks could kill. Then he said something that freaked me out, _a lot_.

"I was there."

So I automatically smacked him with the wake-up-it's-announcement-time smack I've perfected over the past five days. For the irony, of course.

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><p>I couldn't shake off the feeling that everything about this place was a mystery. I asked Frank and Hazel, the kids I met in geography, about this and got the similar response. Well, a little more than just "I was there".<p>

"They're cousins." Frank whispered to the back of his hand. "All of them. Thalia, Jason, Nico, Percy."

I stared at my worksheet as I let that sink in. No freaking way. I did think they were all familiar but, cousins? I shook my head.

"At least Thalia admits to it." Hazel added in while scribbling on her notebook, "Nancy blackmailed some people to get the information. No one else know about it except us, the three guys, and Luke."

"Well, I guess I'm part of it now." I mumbled before going back to work. I've got the chance to know them a bit better during the past week. I now actually think of Thalia as, well, not-so-much-of-a snob. She was pretty okay, just a little... She was too sure of herself, that's why she kept making mistakes. As for Nico, again, the wake-up-it's- yeah, you get it. He's always so mysterious, you just can't seem to figure him out. And I learned that Luke was actually the guy who picked Thalia up on orientation day. Which made sense-he's a junior and apparently the only person Thalia really trusted who wasn't part of her family. Jason is...I didn't get too much out of him. He's not really the talkative type. But as soon as he and Luke are together...let's not get to that.

I was afraid that I would get too used to this, just thinking of this scared me a little. But luckily, Percy kept that from happening. He's probably the most thick-headed one out of all of them. After he'd accidentally hit the fire alarm while playing dodge ball and caused a huge panic through out the entire school, I officially named him "seaweed brain". It actually made sense.

"I'm done." said Frank, setting down his pencil.

I gave him the look, like, _what the hell?_ "I just got to the fifth question, how could you be that fast?"

He only shrugged and said, "You know, part of being Asian."

I could only glare at him while Hazel was giggling and patting my arm. "You get used to it." She said, winking at me.

So not fair.

* * *

><p>"Um, I'm not trying to sound stupid and all," I said with a pointed look to Percy, who smirked in reply, "But why are people putting FAG Day signs all over the cafeteria?"<p>

"Oh you know," Percy said casually, "to celebrate homosexual males all over America."

I instinctively ignored him. Maybe I am getting used to this too fast.

"It's not for that, you idiot," Thalia snapped back at him. Then she explained to me. "It's the stupid camp thing you have to go to. It's for grade nines and tens only. You know, "where you get to make friends". The mental freaks think that if they get the kids to play a bunch of preschoolers' games they'll get to know each other. It's just stupid."

I stifled a giggle. Sometimes adults really are dumb. But I was still confused. "But why is it called Fag Day?"

"It stands for Friends At Goode." Rachel said, she took a break from her busy life of art to join us. "F.A.G. Day. They made us pronounce it like F-A-G. But why name it like that if you don't want us to say it? Why can't you name it like FIG Day or something? Or maybe just F.G. Day? Sometimes they really are just a bunch of-"

"Thank you, Rachel." Luke cut in, "We really don't need any more information."

Thalia punched him playfully on the arm, "Easy for you to say, you don't have to go and torture yourself."

He only grinned like an idiot, his scar grinning with him. I was still wondering how he got that scar. It didn't look like a knife wound, what could it be then? I had used most of my courage once to ask him about it. He only smirked and told me it was a paper cut. That didn't help.

Then there was the FAG Day business. As many friends as I may have now, I'm still a little shy and obviously quiet. The thought of talking to stranger just left a sour taste in my mouth. I only tagged along because Thalia and them accepted me. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful. I just want to take it farther.

* * *

><p>We were all waiting at the door with our permission forms to be sorted into our groups. I silently prayed that I'd have at least someone I know in my group, even if it's Percy. And trust me, I do not want the dodge ball accident to happen again. I did a 360 sweep but saw no one.<p>

"Hello again."

Oh freaking god.

The last person I wanted to see came in behind me. Nancy Bobofit.

"Uh," I bit down my fear, "Hi."

"You were the girl with Thalia that day, no?" I started to answer, but she went on. "Of course, you are. I can totally see the relations here-all so stuck-up in the head." The three girls behind her started giggling like freaks; some how, they were in the same group.

Anger started taking over me, and that is _not_ a good thing. If you didn't notice, when I get angry, I don't _think_.

"What's it to you? Did you get your eyes checked lately? I wouldn't be talking if were you, because i can clearly tell the difference between a made-up face and an owl." I said gesture to the girls behind her, who gasped and took out their mirrors from nowhere.

She only smirked, "Smart. I like you."

"Well, I don't like you." I stated, "And I don't get why you hate us so much. So if you don't mind-"

"I don't just hate you people," She said, stepping closer. "I want you all dead. That Thalia and her scum of a brother _needs_ to disappear."

That seemed to flick on a light in my brain. "You keep mentioning her and her brother, what did they do actually? And who is her brother?"

"You haven't figured out yet?" She sneered, "I thought she would've trusted you enough-unless she's not your friend. Well, the rumors are going to be out anyways. You're going to know sooner or later. Or you can help her by making her lose the election for grade ten rep-your choice."

I blinked, _she was just trying to get in your head_. I couldn't let that happen. "I don't know what you're talking about. And I don't have anything to do with it. So just leave us-all of us- alone." I didn't even wait for an answer before striding away.

* * *

><p>"That was pro."<p>

I jumped-if you can jump in a already bouncing school bus-and saw Percy leaning over the back of my seat. I mentally groaned, of course, god hates me. I was thankful at the same time for having someone I know with I noticed something.

"Were you watching the whole time?" I asked, my suspicions rising. "Where were you then? You could've helped me!"

He held up his hand in a surrender gesture. On him, it looked more like "please don't hurt me". "I would've. But you were doing better than I ever would've done. Like, seriously, that was really pro. As for the first question-you didn't notice? Everyone was watching. You'll probably be as scary as Thals now."

I drew a deep breath. "Okay, so you're in my group?"

He rolled his eyes, "Duh, did you think I was just hiding from the torment of my cousins? Don't answer that."

I almost laughed. "Yup. Exactly what I was thinking." Then I remembered the situation we were in. "What do you do at the camp anyways?"

He scratched his head, his messy black hair bounced with the bus. "How should I know? This is my first time, too. But I heard from Thalia that it's all about 'goin' to back to preschool time', when every barrier was broken down', or 'all kids get along' or something like that."

Well that was helpful. But Percy looked so proud for actually remembering something so I could only leave him in his little world.

* * *

><p>FAG Day was torture, obviously.<p>

The Camp was in the middle of the woods. We stopped four times for wild deer on the run. And the games really are for preschoolers, Percy wasn't kidding. But that doesn't change anything at all. No one bothered to listen to the instructors. Some kid was chasing a wild rabbit around when the teacher chaperon was chasing him. I saw Thalia put up a fight with Nancy, again. But this time she was defending someone. And I think I heard "Jason".

So on the way back I asked Percy, and got the same response as Nico. Do these people ever change?

"You...Uh no, he's not." He stammered before slapping a hand over his mouth.

I looked at him cautiously. "I didn't say anything. Who's not what?"

"No, no, nothing." He said through the hand, answering a little too quickly, "I didn't say anything. He's not her brother." His eyes widened before slapping another hand over his mouth.

I was lost for a minute before crying out, "Jason's her-" This time he clamped his hand over my mouth. I looked up, few people turned their heads to look at us, but turned away looking bored.

"Don't say it out loud, you idiot!" He hissed at me. I mentally rolled my eyes. You wanna see an idiot? Then I un-clamped his hand.

"But really?" I pressed on, "Is Jason really her brother?"

He sighed, "Fine, but you didn't hear it from me." I grinned almost in triumph.

* * *

><p>For a seaweed brain, I didn't think he could comprehend all of it. Even if it's his own life.<p>

On the whole way back, he told me the story, and the rumor going around.

"You know that Thalia's a sophomore. You know that she has reputation and place at this one hell of a school. But she didn't tell you her last name." I nodded. "And I'm guessing you asked Nico about it and he only told you that he was there when _it_ happened?" I nodded again. "Well, I was too. All of us. And don't believe the rumors going around. Nancy's lying about that night. We didn't crash her party. Sure, we did throw a few water balloons at them, but it wasn't about that.

"Ever since Thalia won the grade nine rep election, she's been trying to get back at her. And trying to make our life miserable. She threw that party on purpose, knowing that we would come, and hired, or rather blackmailed, some people into playing along with her. We - that's me, Jason and Nico - only brought like, what, eight balloons for all the little tricks she pulled on us. I mean, it was fair, right?" He sighed. "She invited practically the whole school over. We were just trying to embarrass her in front of her own people, but we go ourselves instead.

"There were people waiting outside the window, as soon as the first three balloon crashed on her house - and get this, we weren't aiming at her windows - they pounced on us, claiming we were trying to attack. And they've carried extra weapons with them, and framed us when the cops came. Nancy herself showed up and started breaking down in front of them. She told them that we had weapons with us was trying to kill the 'innocent children who were just trying to have fun'. And she was trying to get Thalia, since she wasn't there with us, she aimed at her brother. Jason. You know, I still don't get why they didn't suspect a thing when she knew exactly where our weapons were. And we were still in grade eight. It really was obvious.

"Anyways, they bought the stunt and told us to go with them. Luckily, Luke showed up and got us out of it. How? Well... He had his strange way of persuasive talking. It's something none of us will ever understand. So basically, that's how she started spreading rumors about that night. She told everyone that Jason was a crazy mentally challenged kid who just escaped from a youth detention center. And you know what, people actually believe it. But it's a broken telephone. At the end, which was now, people didn't know that Jason was Thalia's brother."

He paused and waited for my reaction. But I couldn't say more than, "Uh-huh?"

"Thalia's worked hard to get her reputation." He started again. "And she's working harder to keep it. If people know that we're her cousins, she's screwed for life. That's why she wouldn't tell you her last name."

I nodded slowly, trying to let that whole story sink in. I really didn't think it was that complicated. But...something was bothering me, and it was bothering me that I couldn't figure out what or where. And I was sure of one thing: part of that story was incomplete.

Whatever, problem for later.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry, a little late. But I'm done! Holy sh** that took a long time.<strong>

**Anyways, it was a little rushed but that's fine. Sorry for you who expected more than that. But hey, I was making a model of a city with marshmallows and sugar cubes. (I'm not kidding, it's for Geo.)**

**So anyways, thanks for all the reviews! 28! Sooo happy! It's better if you can leave your thoughts so thanks!**

**R&R**

**~Sayuri =]**


	6. Chapter 5: Reppin' In

** AN: I am sooo sorry guys!**

**I didn't update for like, three weeks now... Sorry, sorry! Now, I know you hate me, but explanations later. I hate it when people don't update for a long time and write a long excuse that basically mean nothing. But do read the AN at the end of the chapter! I'll answer some questions!**

**So anyways… ****Read on!**

**Disclaimer: I seriously don't get point of these things...**

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><p><strong>Reppin' In<strong>

You'd think that life would be easier when you moved to the other side of the country where no one can bug you about your miserable past; you'd think that life would be more expectant and, well, not as zig-zagging as before. But there are always surprises. You'd never think that a quiet little small-town-girl can make friends but she did; you'd never think she would wonder into a maze by accident; and you'd never think that she would stand up with nothing and run for Grade 9 Rep.

Okay, fine. Thalia talked me into it.

She cornered me yesterday after school. She found me at my locker, dragged me to the washroom and locked us in a stall. She was pretty much out of breath, like she was running from someone.

"I need to talk to you." She said between breaths.

"Well, hurry up. I don't want to get caught in a bathroom stall with someone other than me-"

"Exactly! Now look," Her expression was stern, "I need your help."

I'll admit, when she told me that she wanted me to run for grade nine representative, I almost laughed in her face. But then her eyes made me second-guess that. "Wait, y-you're serious?" Same expression. "But...I'm-it's not going to work. I'm new here, people barely know me. I'm just-"

"That's the point." She smirked, "They don't know you. You know why first impressions are so important? It's because that's the mark it makes in people's minds. That's the funny thing about humans. See, they always intend to remember the first image they see when learning something new. Like, I remember you were quiet the first time I met you. And even though I know that's not the real you, I sometimes still see you as that."

"Oh thanks." I muttered. It's been three weeks since that happened. And yet, I still have a very clear memory of it. "And you think that helps you because...?"

She suddenly tensed and peeked out our stall for a second, then turned to me. "I don't want Nancy Bobofit to get the upper hand in the elections."

"How does that work? She's running for grade _ten_ rep and the president of the athletic council, not that she had a single bit of sports gene in her, but that doesn't even-"

"Would you listen first?" She hissed. I heard the door of the stall at the other end clink open and shut. "We don't have time. I'm hiding from Nancy's people... And Luke." Her face flushed. "But that's another story. Anyways, Bobofit had her friends from Yancy, who are now niners, running for the rep. If they win, and somehow in the most unreasonable way possible, she will definitely get more likes than me."

"And you think that if I run against them, I can get people to like you." I finished for her, lowering my voice as I hear another door clink open. "That...makes a little sense now."

"And don't worry if you'll mess it up, because you can't. Whatever you say on that stage is either going to attract massive attention, or be ignored." said Thalia encouragingly.

I thought about it for a while. She's not wrong. If I can make my status right there and then, it could be my breaking point. If not... Well, what do I have to lose?

"Let's just hurry up and get out of here." Thalia said, peeking out the door. "I hear more people coming."

* * *

><p>That was the first draw. I have thought about this over again later on. If I didn't mention before, I have officially became Nancy Bobofit's main target, other than Thalia of course.<p>

It was Seaweed Brain's fault, I'd say. Last week he told me the true story on Thalia's side, and Thalia and Jason vowed to hunt him down for the rest of his life. That thought gave me a shudder. I would've felt sorry for him if he didn't drag me into this mess. Nancy found out later and tried to get the information from me, all the stuff she missed, "the details". She came to me this morning before class to ask, that went something like this:

Nancy: So you know the story that's been going around?

Me (playing dumb): Whaaa?

Nancy: Don't go all innocent on me. Tell me, why didn't Thalia show up that night with them? (phone at the ready) And don't lie, I know you never miss a word.

Me (blink): I'm sorry, what'd you say?

Nancy (pissed off): I said, tell me why-

Me: Oh sorry, I was just packing up.

Nancy: It's fine, just tell me what-

Me: (pretending to think) Wait...

Nancy: What?

Me: Oh shoot! Forgot my English essay!

Nancy: Can you answer my question? I don't have all day!

Me: That reminds me, I needed to see someone today about my project...

Nancy: Are you even listening? I just said-

Me: That's right! It's Mr. Brunner! I have to go. Good talk!

And I ran away as fast as I can, looking over my shoulder a few times to make sure she wasn't following me. I even made a few long turns to my first period class. I think I was scared to the point of angry, if that makes sense at all, and that was proven right when I stormed in to the classroom, saw Nico in my chair sleeping, and flipped the chair over-_with him on it._

"...get that table, please?"

I blinked my eyes a few times, "What?"

Nico sighed, "Are you even in this? I've repeated that line three times already."

I looked down at the script in my hands. We were doing this improve scene about a restaurant. I zoned out these days a lot. What with all the elections and Nancy and... the letter from Grover.

"Let's just try again." said Nico, "Take it from my line: 'Could you get the-'"

"Hey, Nico," I said suddenly, "What do you think of Thalia?"

He looked up at me, clearly surprised about my random question. "What-what do you mean? I mean...I think she's cool...yeah, we grew up together, so... Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Well, I just thought in a more respective way, what would people see in her that would make them vote for her. You know, since everybody see her differently..." I narrowed my eyes. "What were _you_ talking about?"

We made eye contact for a second, and I saw something in his dark eyes that I never saw before...panic. And...was he blushing?

"What were you talking about?" I asked him again. He didn't look at me.

"Yo, I said," I raised my voice so that people around us would take notice, therefore will make him answer me. "What were you talking about?"

"Is everything alright?" Mr. Brunner strolled over.

"Everything's fine, sir." Said Nico before I could respond.

"Alright then, presentation's on Friday, don't forget." Mr. Brunner smiled at us knowingly.

Nico smiled back sweetly, "Of course, sir. We're working on it." _Curse him and his split personalities._

Mr. Brunner winked at me. "Don't get too excited." He said before wheeling off again. I saw Nico blush again from the corner of my eye. I frowned, what does this man do all day? Eavesdrop on students' conversations?

I turned to Nico. "Now where were we...Oh yes, you were going to answer my question."

"I really don't think this is a good place to say it."

"Why? Is it that important that you just can't get it out in front of..._a girl_?" I smirked, this is fun.

He flushed even redder if possible. "I-I, um... Well, we grew up together. We are really close, but it's complicated..."

Then something very important hit me, "Wait...you guys are cousins. How could you have a crush on her? Is even legal? Even if it is, that is so gross-"

"Okay, shush!" He hissed, his face redder than a tomato now. "It's not like that. Jeez, the rant's back again." I glared at him. But he looked serious. "We are cousins, yes. But whoever told you we were blood-related?"

My jaw dropped open. He sighed, "Not that face again. Please, shut your mouth."

I had to push my chin up to close my gaping face. "How?" I managed.

"Like I said, it's a complicated family relationship." He explained. "Thalia and Jason Grace are siblings under the same parents. Percy Jackson's dad was from the same family. But my mom was adopted." He paused, watching my reaction.

"So... you're not from the same family?" He nodded. "But that doesn't make it legal for dating...does it?"

"It is, but what does it matter anyways?" He chuckled slightly, "She's got that Luke all over her."

I frowned. That explains why she was running from Luke that day. "But... They couldn't have anything going on. She..." I stopped myself. "They don't have anything going on, yet. If you tell her first."

Nico just shook his head. "You never tell a girl you like her, just makes you look like an idiot."

I laughed. That was not a nice reference, but probably true. "Now hurry up and practice. The presentation's in two days."

* * *

><p>"Would you do it?" Thalia whispered while taking a slice of pizza from the counter.<p>

"I...I'm still thinking about it."

"Well, think faster," Thalia said, "We don't have much time. Start your campaign tomorrow. We have to win this."

I placed a bowl of pasta on my tray. I couldn't believe this. I've already made up my mind to help her. Why am I still hesitant to tell Thalia that?

"That would be two-fifty."

I handed the lunch lady the money and headed off. I should've expected what happened next, since I have _officially_ became Nancy's _official_ target. I just came out the door when someone bumped me from behind and made me stumble. At the same time, a hand flipped my tray over and spilled pasta all over me. I sat in the floor, dazed and head spinning from what just happened. I heard people laughing above me. "Gotta watch where you're going, hon'."

Of course. The devil herself.

"What happened?" Thalia exclaimed from behind me, Then she saw Nancy, and her eyes turned dangerous. "You..." She growled, "You just can't leave the kid alone, can you?"

Nancy smirked, her ugly freckles crunched together. "Why should I? She was never nice to me." She looked down at me and took out her phone. So did the people around her. "Say cheese."

Thalia launched herself at her, smacking the phone out of her hand before I could blink. The phone hit the floor and scattered into pieces. Nancy's eyes were wider than an owl's. "You..." She stammered, trying to find her words.

"I-what?" Thalia hissed. She turned to the crowd. "Lay off her."

Then I realized it was another voice who said that. Someone handed me some paper towel. I looked up. It was Percy. "Are you okay?" He asked, his eyes quite concerned. I nodded and took the towel. "Thanks." I muttered.

"Whoever takes another picture will either be killed by me or can die in a hole!" I heard Thalia yell at the people around us. Jason and Nico were also beside me. People scattered off into twos, whispering among themselves. Nancy, seeing that her plan to humiliate me in front of everyone had just gone back-fired, huffed and stormed off. With her little friends stumbling to catch up.

Jason and Percy grabbed my arms and hauled me on my feet. Nico started laughing. "God," He said, "You should really see yourself in the mirror right now."

I wanted to be mad at him, but it was true. I was covered from head to toe in red pasta sauce and had spaghetti hanging off my hair. "I guess I need a new lunch now." I joked.

"I can get you get you one." Jason offered. "You want chicken or beef hot dog?"

"Chicken, please." I said, picking a strand of spaghetti off my hair. "And no ketchup, I hate anything that involves tomatoes."

He smiled and went off. Thalia came up to me and handed me more paper towel. "That girl will eventually get it." She mumbled. Then she smiled. "But this...is pretty funny."

I instinctively smacked her arm. Which only caused her to smack me back. I still couldn't believe how close we'd gotten over the past three weeks. It actually feels good to have some real friends.

"I can lend you my gym shirt if you want." Thalia added, "Don't worry, I washed it."

I laughed. Then I remembered her offer.

"Thalia, about the rep thing...I'll do it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: hey guys. Kay, so now's the time for excuses.<strong>

**I know this is a weird place to cut it off, but you'll get why when I post the next chapter... which is next weekend.**

**I'm really sorry for not updating. I got a bit lazy, I guess. And I had the whole school concert thing and volunteering to worry about. And a little confused, too.**

**I need help here. Okay, so as you can see, Thalico is going first. So you voted, and I thought it would be best if they went first. With Percabeth in between.**

**But I'm not sure, should I go with the flow and let Percabeth prove itself, or just cut off the middle parts? Because it's really not important, just supporting plots.**

**So anyways... Review! Tell me what I should do here! It's really important if you review!**

**And to spottedfire98: is it too long? Maybe... Well, these usually take around 4 to 6 hours depending on what happens in the story and my mood.**

**Okay... Review please! And I'm really sorry. (Oh yeah, Starkid reference in there...anybody?)**

**~Sayuri**


	7. Chapter 6: The Aftermath

**AN: Alright! Thanks for the reviews! It's my motivation to keep writing.**

**I'm so sorry for not updating during the break, it's been a crazy week. But I'm Back! Yay! I'll try to update at least twice before it ends...I'll try...**

**And Percabeth is starting. I'm very, _very_ bad at fluff since I have never done one before (you don't do that for English essays). So, uh, don't kill me.**

**And I made Thalico possible! They're not blood-related and therefore... But there is going to be a bit of Thuke before Thalico actually happens, just so you know.**

**And to DaughterofAthena1010: Haha, yeah, me and my friend was watching it the other day and that sort of just popped up when I wrote that part. Speaking of which...I'm going to watch that again.**

**Oh and the Mark in this chapter was originally a son of Ares, Clarrise's brother, as mentioned in the Demigod Files.**

**Anyways... (I say that a lot now)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own PJO, PJO would just be non-sense if I did.**

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><p><strong>The Aftermath<strong>

Her eyes lit up. She laughed and hooked and arm around my shoulders, despite all the tomato sauce. "That's my girl!" She announced happily. I laughed along awkwardly while Percy and Nico just stared at us blankly.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Percy said cautiously, "But can you at least give us a little clue on what's going on here?"

"Oh you idiot," Thalia chuckled, "You wouldn't know if I did."

Nico looked at me like I just agreed to a case of murder, which I probably did. "Please don't tell me this is one of Thalia's schemes."

I saw Percy pause to look at me out of the corner of my eye, and suddenly, my ketchup-colored shirt seemed very attractive. Thalia just smirked her evil smirk.

"I am not liking this.' I mumbled to myself.

"You guys, don't just stand here like statues, you're blocking the traffic." Thalia put an arm around the boys and steered them away. "Find us a seat and Auntie Thals will tell you a story."

* * *

><p>Turns out, we didn't have to find seats. Frank, Hazel and Rachel were waiting for us at an empty table. Jason joined us half way with my hot dog, which I gulped down in three bites. And then I remembered to thank him for it. A little bit late for that.<p>

"So let me get this straight," Percy said, scratching his head, "You want Annabeth to run in the elections because _you_ want to win? What?"

"That...doesn't make sense...at all." Frank added.

"I think I get it." said Hazel, who turned to look at me. "But... are you sure about this? You could mess it up real bad-"

"No, she won't." Thalia cut her off, "Now if you'll excuse us, we have some serious problems to discuss." She stood up and grabbed my arm. "Come on." She said in a low voice, and without waiting for an answer, she hauled me out of my chair and started dragging me away.

"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to keep up with her. She finally stopped at a corner.

"I'm trying to help you here." She said, "You have less than three days to prepare for the speech and I've already entered your name for you."

"What?" I almost screamed, but I realized we were supposed to keep it low. "You did that before I agreed to it? What if I said no? What am I going do then? I wasn't prepared and I still am not!"

"You are such a perfectionist." Thalia stated, rolling her eyes. "It was well worth the risk. I knew you couldn't just turn it down so I did that ahead of time. It's called fore-planning."

"There's no such word as 'fore-planning'." I corrected, "Besides the point, how am I supposed to write a speech, put up a campaign all in two days-"

"Three."

"Whatever!" I was pacing around now. Trying to get it out of my head, and even though I didn't say it, I was actually scared to do that in front of the whole school. So you see the main problem there.

"You're smart, you can figure it out." Thalia said casually. Then seeing my look of horror, she smiled and added, "I'm kidding. Jeez, some people just take themselves too seriously. I have that done for you." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "I thought you might freak out like this so I wrote the speech for you. You are doing me a favor after all."

I snatched the paper from her hand and skimmed it through. "I guess...that could work." I said hesitantly.

"That's the spirit!" Thalia clapped me on the back. "Now, I need to get you a new shirt because you're starting to smell like spaghetti."

I laughed. But my mind was actually a mush. For Thalia. I reminded myself. And for getting back at Nancy Bobofit for ruining my favorite shirt.

* * *

><p>"Why do you all hate me?" Percy exclaimed when we were walking to third period class together. Yep, just my luck to be in the same class as Seaweed Brain.<p>

"I didn't say anything." I said innocently, "You're the one who's stupid enough to bring it up." I laughed silently as he groaned to my response.

Apparently, Percy has a thing for swimming and is determined to join the swim team. When he announced that in front of everyone, we all laughed at him. Well, except for me who had no idea what was going on. And Jason had stated that a puppy could crawl faster than him. If I didn't know better, I could never tell that they were all just naturally against him.

"I mean, how could they say that I can't swim? They've never seen me." He continued whining, "They're just so...so stiff-headed, you know. I'm not as dumb as I look-not that I look dumb. I just really want to prove them wrong, you know what I mean?"

"Then prove them wrong." I whipped around to face him. His whining was starting to annoy me. "The swim team try-out's tomorrow. If you think you're good enough then you should do it instead of day-dreaming about it."

He studied me for a second, then his green eyes lit up. "You think so?"

"I'm not going to say 'I know so' because I don't want to give you any crooked ideas." I said, "But yes, you should. You still have time to get ready. Make them go to the try-outs to watch. That'll show'em."

He considered this for a second. "And if they still think I suck at it?"

"Then I'd be...I'd be..." I snapped my fingers a few times while trying to think of a promise that's good enough.

"Is Miss Wise Girl lost for words?" He teased, "That's a first."

I automatically went to smack his arm, but he caught my hand.

Now, I wouldn't mind a guy dodging my hand if I tried to punch them. But when you have Thalia in the classroom just in time to see the process, it's not fun at all.

"Well, I see we're already at nickname stage." She said, obviously trying to stifle a laugh.

I felt my face heat up, and I was pretty sure Percy's was, too. We looked at each other, first in embarrassment, then in horror. I quickly snapped my hand away, which I didn't even notice he was still holding, and tried not to run to my seat. But Thalia, being Thalia, wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted something." She taunted. "I mean, no one was in the room except you guys..." She chuckled a bit at my terrified look at her. "Aren't you two just the cutest... Doing everything at the same time."

I was about to bury my head in my science binder when I noticed that Percy was doing that, too. I snapped my binder shut and, coincidentally and unluckily, Percy did the same.

Thalia was doubled over laughing the whole time through. While me and Percy were awkwardly trying to avoid each other's gaze. God, why did Thalia just have to walk in at that time? If she didn't, we could just laugh if off as a joke and it would all be forgotten.

When Thalia was finally done laughing, she sat on my desk, leaned closer to me and spoke in a low voice, but still loud enough for Percy to hear. "I'm not you, Annabeth. So I don't know what you're thinking. But you should have a better taste in guys than this dumbass right here." Then she went back to a laughing fit. And Percy looked like he was trying to decide whether to get mad at that or throw a test tube of chemicals at her head to show that he's mad at that.

I pushed Thalia off my desk. "You just got the wrong idea." I protested after clearing my throat several times, "It was a complete accident. I was trying to hit him but he caught my hand, that's all."

"Oh yeah, I know." She had a wild grin that made me wonder if she was high on sugar. "I saw it all the way from 'Miss Wise Girl'."

I felt my face get hot again. _It was just a nickname between friends._

"It was just a nickname between friends." Oh great, guess who said that?

Thalia didn't look convinced. "Well, _that_, really depends on what you were talking about before."

"We were talking about the swim team try-outs, which Percy is going to be in. And I think you should all go and support him." I said quickly, trying to change the subject.

Thank goodness Thalia took it. Although she did look back and forth between me and Percy. "Alright." She finally decided, "I believe you. But just so you know, Percy is going to fail the first match so I'd keep whatever you were going to promise him to yourself." She winked at me before settling down and taking out her text book.

Percy and I exchanged unbelieving looks. I could tell we were thinking about the same thing-even though that is a bad sign. _Was she following us the whole time?_

Cannot believe this girl.

* * *

><p>"I thought you said you were coming."<p>

"Um, well, about that..." Nico scratched the back of his head, something he would do when he's nervous, "I, uh, I have some...tutoring! Yeah, I have to study for the...test..." His voice trailed off when I raised my eyebrows. Then he cleared his throat and looked down at the assignment sheet. "Anyways, back to business. I think this part should—"

"Nico," I cut him off, "I for one, know that you don't have tutoring, ever. And you never study for tests either."

He looked like he wanted to protest, but I knew I hit a point there, because he sighed and held up his hands. "Alright, fine. You win. I don't want to go because...well, because he sucks. Okay? I don't want him to embarrass himself out there. It's bad enough that you talked him into it. And now you want to drag us all down with him? No way."

"How could you say he's not good?" I argued. "You've never even seen him."

Nico just snorted. "Oh yes, we all have. And it's..." He left the last part hanging.

"What?" I eyed him suspiciously.

He just waved me off. "Never mind. I don't want to kill the last of his confidence."

"Well, that's mean." I said, "But may I remind you, you're not too much of a man yourself."

His head shot up. "What...what do you mean?"

"I mean..." I grinned, this is going to be fun. "Have you told Thalia yet?"

"I.." He started playing with his pencil, another thing he does when he's nervous, "Well, I... I wanted to. But she was with that Luke again. So..."

I frowned, "But... Luke wasn't here for the past two days. He's on a overnight field trip. And he should be coming back today."

"Is...is that true? I..." Nico stammered, he twirled his pencil in one hand, "I could've sworn I saw him yesterday at-"

"Nico." I cut him off, "When are you going to admit to Thalia that you like her? "

"Shush!" Nico hissed, "Do you want everyone to know?"

"Oh shush yourself!" I snatched his pencil out of his hand and pointed it at him. It was a good thing Mr. Brunner gave us all our own spaces for rehearsals, if anyone saw this, I'll probably be suspended for who-knows-how-long. "You are just too afraid to admit to her. Do you know why? Because you're in love with Thalia-"

"No, I'm not!"

"Because you're in love with Thalia," I ignored his protest, stepped closer to him and held the pencil out like a wand, "and you're scared that if you tell her, she might have to tell you that she can't love you back."

Nico's eyes widened. He stared at me for a second, and I realized what I was doing. It was like what I do only when I was mad. It was like that day with Nancy.

"Sorry," I said quietly, setting down the pencil, "I wasn't thinking."

He blinked a few times, like he was trying to get back to reality. Then, to my surprise, he shook his head and smiled. "I see Thalia has effected you." He joked. Wait...he joked? Didn't see that one coming. "You sound just like her."

"I do not." I shot back instinctively. "I...just happened to be... worried about you. And Thalia." I added the last part because I didn't want Nico to find something he can use against me afterwards.

He just grinned, another thing I never expected him to do. "Aw," he teased, "You do care about me."

"I-" I didn't know how to respond to that. To say I don't? That'll probably make it worse. If I say I do then... That's not good either. "Let's just get back to rehearsals. We're wasting time."

I started organizing paper and tried to avoid eye contact. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nico smile and mutter something to himself, something like "Oh yes, you do". I wanted to smack him. Focus, I told myself.

"And stop playing with your pencil. It's really distracting."

* * *

><p>I just happen to have the bestworst day of my life. If I list the reasons, it will totally make sense. So here it is.

Why it was the best day of my life: I had just busted Nico and he is now afraid of me. And I think I have figured out the missing part of that story about that night. Why it is the worst day of my life: I have been forced to run for grade nine rep, the elections is tomorrow and I'm not the least bit prepared; I have been dragged into this Nancy Bobofit business even though I didn't have anything to do with it...until now; I've been caught in an empty classroom holding hands (it was an accident) with the guy I'm most annoyed with; I've talked Percy into trying out for the swim team that may have him kill himself afterwards; last but not least, I showed up at the try-outs with only Percy because the rest all had "studying" to do.

So to recap, worst day wins.

"Where are the others?" I asked when Percy came out of the change room.

"They're all busy." He replied casually, but I knew he was disappointed.

I readjusted my arm position, my books were getting heavier by the minute. "And Nico said he needed to study." He looked at me strangely. "What?" I said, "I knew it wasn't true. I mean, come on, he's Nico."

He shrugged and nodded, "You had me scared there. I almost thought you believed him."

I was going to punch him when I remembered what happened last time. So instead I said, "Please don't insult my intelligence."

He laughed. "That was almost funny. Keep trying Wise Girl."

I started to reply but the coach blew the whistle. "Alright, ya kids. Start warmin' up. We're startin' in five minutes. " The coach said clapping his hands. The kids started scrambling around and getting ready.

"You should go now." Percy said, grabbing my arm and started leading me out. "They wouldn't want a girl in here."

"What?" I stopped and took back my arm. "I thought you wanted me to watch."

"You are watching." He said, "From outside the window. You're not supposed to be in the pool gym unless you're trying-out for the team."

I shifted my weight, I felt pretty stupid. "Oh... Okay, then. I'll wait for you."

"Great," he said quickly, taking my arm again, "now you have to go before-"

"Jackson!" I turned to see a beefy guy walk towards us, or rather, stomping towards us. I immediately disliked him. He was obviously a bully. Call me stereotypical but you've got to see the guy. He's huge and bulky and must've weighed three hundred pounds. And his eyebrows are scrunched together so it gives that mean look that said "you better stay out of my face".

Percy groaned like his mom just called him to do the laundry. I tried to look normal as he approached us, but honestly, I was simply trying not to flee. I was grateful when Percy held out his arm a little protectively when he stopped in front of us.

"Hey, Mark." Percy said, "Good to see you."

Mark just huffed, his tiny pig-eyes focused on me. "Who's your little girlfriend here, Jackson? Nobody is allowed inside the pool gym, even if she is your girlfriend."

I was about to state that Percy and I had nothing going on, but Percy was ahead of me. "So what if she is? I thought Clarrise told you to take a break on us. You know, after what happened last time."

Mark's left eye twitched. Then he cleared his throat, "It was an accident. My sister and I never meant to do it. If we did, you'd be dead right now."

"I don't exactly remember that-"

"Whatever. The point is, Jackson, you're losing today. For real." He stepped closer and I felt Percy tense. I thought that any second now, someone's going to break out some punches, so I straightened up and said to Percy, "I'll wait for you outside."

"Yes, yes." Mark waved his hand like he was shooing off a fly. "Get the little girl out of here. We don't want distractions."

It was a good thing Percy pulled me out before I could start my angry rant again.

* * *

><p>I bumped into my surprise, literally.<p>

I was walking out of the gym, and I ran into someone. Simple as that. I guess I was still fuming from my encounter with Mark, but that wasn't the point. It was the person. I thought it was Jason at first. With the blond hair and everything. But this person was much taller. And Jason would never bend down to help me up. Then I noticed the scar running down his face.

"Luke?"

"Yep." He smiled, "Nice to see ya, kiddo."

I wanted to hug him, but I rather not take the chances of Thalia walking in that door. "You're back..." I tried to think of words to say. Luke have always been the big brother of this "group". Not just because he's the oldest, but also because he's the smartest and always takes care of everyone, and we all listen to him anyway. "How's the trip?"

He just grinned and ruffled my hair, like I was a little kid. Which to him, I probably was. "It was awesome."

"Were you with the Stolls again? Why do I have a feeling—"

"No, no," Luke held up his hands, "nothing crazy happened."

Judging from the mischievous smile on his face, I'd say it was either something exploded, or he put shaving cream in someone's sleeping bag again. I realized that I've actually missed him over the past two messed up days. As fun as it was, having Thalia "in charge", I was glad to have him back.

"So, um..." I shouldered my book bag. "What are you doing here?"

He raised his eyebrows, "I heard Percy was trying-out for the swim team? And it was your fault."

"My fault?" I crossed my arms, "It's not a fault... It's not wrong or anything."

"Whatever." Luke put an arm around my shoulders and started steering me to the windows. "I'm supporting him anyway. Come on, it's starting."

* * *

><p>Percy was actually good. I cannot believe I just said that.<p>

For the first time, he was actually right. I tried imaging Thalia's face if she was here. It wasn't too hard, Luke's face helped. I silently laughed to myself.

"I guess the practicing paid off, huh?" He smiled, his eyes not leaving the scenery.

"I guess... Wait what?" I glanced at him temporarily, "You knew?"

"Yeah, sure. I mean," He shrugged, "he spent a lot of time in the pool gym. Someone would've guessed."

I nodded as the coach blew his whistle. "Alright ya kids!" He shouted, his voice muted through the glass. "Final round. First five get to stay. Clear?"

I watched as he picked the swimmers for the final round, and was relieved when he tapped Percy on the shoulder. He looked surprised at first, just standing there. Then his eyes settled on us. He paused when he saw Luke, who grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. I silently laughed to his reaction. He seemed stunned, but he managed a nod.

I gave him an encouraging smile and mouthed, good job. He smiled and waved. Some guys came up behind him and said something to him. Percy looked confusedly at the guy, then he gestured to me, as if asking, you talking about her? I felt my face for the fifth time today when I saw the guy laugh and say, nice girl, man. At least that's what I thought he said.

After he left, Percy made a face like, "can you believe this guy?", and went to join the rest of his friends.

"Uh... Did I missed something?" said Luke with his eyebrows raised.

I stared at him blankly before realizing what he meant. "Well, I'm sure Thalia will tell you all about it. Let's just cheer on Percy for now."

Luke studied me for a second while I kept my eyes glued on the pool._ Nothing's going on_, I thought. _You can try to prove it, but nothing will prove nothing_.

* * *

><p>"Come on, come on." I chanted.<p>

Final lap. Percy was within the first five, first three actually. He was doing great. I squeezed the straps of my book bag even tighter. I didn't even notice that my palms were sweating.

"He's going to get it. He's going to get it..." Luke muttered, then he frowned. "Wait, what the—"

I narrowed my eyes on lane three. Something was wrong. Percy was slowing down. The Mark guy we were just talking to before was in the lane beside him where the unusually large splashes of water were coming from. I tried to look closer, but my nose was already pressed on the glass.

"He's cheating!" I exclaimed. "he's kicking him on purpose! He's—"

"I get it, Annabeth." Luke interrupted, "But there's nothing we can do."

I wanted to protest. But the coach blew the whistle. "Congratulations to those who made the team! Thanks for coming in. Good job everyone!"

I didn't wait for him to finish his speech. I ran for the change room with Luke not far behind. When I got in the pool gym, the guys were already packing. I frantically looked around for Percy. I spotted him by the pool talking to one of his friends, probably congratulating him.

"Percy!" I trotted towards him, watching my step so I wouldn't slip on the watery floor.

He turned, his smile wavered when he saw us, but he kept it up. "Hey guys." He greeted, "Luke. Didn't expect you to be here."

"He cheated. Mark cheated." I blurted. "You have to tell Coach. You did great. You can still get on the team if—"

"I know, I know." Percy winced as he rubbed a bruise in his knee. "But why would he believe me? He would just assume that I'm lying to get in—ow, he's got a firm kick."

"Did someone say Mark?" **(AN:** or should I say *Draco Malfoy*. I'm sorry, I love AVPM references. They come in so handy.) said...three guesses who?

Percy's smile grew even larger, and faker. "Mark. Great job, man. You made the team."

Mark's smirking meercat face faded, he seemed taken back at Percy's reactions. "What...you're not going to fight me for it?"

"Is it worth it? 'Cause it definitely is not talking to you."

"Oh, are you just scared then?" Mark stepped closer, un-crossing his arms. "Too scared to face me, Jackson?"

"Percy, don't." I warned as I felt him tense again, his fists were clenched.

"You listen to your little girlfriend, Jackson?" Mark gave a light laugh, "You just a wimp, you know that? You're just a wimp."

Percy started forward, but Mark had been expecting this. He lashed out his hands and when Percy came close, he pushed hard on his shoulders.

What happened next was so fast I didn't even have time to react. Percy staggered back and bumped into me. If this was on a grass field, I would've just stumbled. But we were right beside the pool and the floor was slippery and wet. I lost my balance and felt my foot slip out from under.

The whole world spun a three-sixty before everything blurred. I thought I heard a shriek from somewhere, then I realized it came from me. I tried to breath, but instead I got water up in my nose. I was suffocating. I kicked my foot and waved my arms as hard as I could but I wasn't going anywhere. My lungs are now just empty sacs. I tried to open my eyes but all I can see was a mist. Shadowy figures loomed above the water. Someone was yelling for help.

I felt the water vibrate. Somebody must've fell in after me. It was a good thing I left the bag in the change room, I thought. Then I couldn't see anymore.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: That...was the longest chapter I've ever written! Four thousand words man! Wohoo!<strong>

**I think I milked the Percabeth part a bit. Well, first try anyways.**

**I'm sorry I didn't make it for Christmas, but now...I still can't go back to normal. **

**It's that time of the year again...Ugh. Exams. Word has it guys, I have to study.**

**But good luck to you all with exams coming up, too. Review! R and R!**

**Happy New Year**

**~Sayuri**


	8. Chapter 7: Just Go with the Flow

**AN: I'm baaack! Yay... *runs around a table* I'm really sorry for the long wait, especially when it ended on a cliffie. But I made it! The exams are done! Woo-hoo! And now a new semester is starting...**

**Thanks to all those who reviewed, really, thank you. It's great having so much support on my first fic. Thanks guys.**

**Story Announcements: **

**I'm going to start a new story! Just a random idea I got from a school lecture... Weird, I know. But it's actually a good plot. It's going to be posted after this story is finished or when it's near finishing. It doesn't include demigods or gods or anything from the books. **

**It's going to be in Percy's POV. ****I personally find him a bit easier to write than Annabeth (I'm not really the smart type). It's called _Where the Truth Lies_ (get it? Truth...lies? Haha, oh, I'm pathetic). Go check it out on my profile for more info.**

**I made the coach's name up so... I'm sorry if it doesn't make sense but at least it's better than to refer to him as "the coach" every single time.**

**Disclaimer: PJO...not mine.**

* * *

><p><em>I felt the water vibrate. Somebody must've fell in after me. It was a good thing I left the bag in the change room, I thought. Then I couldn't see any more.<em>

_..._

**Just Go With the Flow**

It was like a dream.

All blank. The whole world was blank. I was wrapped in a cloud. Just floating. A gust of wind blew out of nowhere and lifted me up. I could see bits of misted blue sky now. But it was churning, like it was angry.

I thought I heard voices in my head. But I could barely make out the words. They sounded like they came from under water. Then I saw a stream of light above me. I could see shadowy figures behind the light. The voices became clearer as the wind carried me upwards. And someone was calling my name. Suddenly the mist cleared. I gasped as I felt the cool air.

I brought one of my hands up to rub my eyes, but it was wet and watery. So instead I blinked for a few times to get rid of the fog that's been clogging my vision. My eyes slowly focused, just as a splash of water hit me in the face. I started coughing and, with the water up my nose, it's not quite comfortable.

"I got her! I got her!" cried a familiar voice from behind. Other voices started talking at once. Someone was shouting orders.

Strong hands grabbed my arms and pulled me onto solid ground as another pair hoisted me up from behind. I collapsed onto the tiled floor, spitting water and breathing hard. Whoever it was came out after me was, too.

People gathered in a circle around me. Someone set a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

I looked up into a pair of concerned blue eyes. Luke.

"I'm-I'm fine." I started sitting up and Luke immediately grabbed my arm. I just pushed him off, "I said I'm fine." I hated the fact that people think I'm weak; that I can't even get up after falling into a pool—which was stupid in the first place—especially now that I was the center of attention.

Luke pulled back, looking startled and slightly offended. I thought that was probably a bit rude, so I added, "But thanks anyways."

Coach Ross (at least I think that's his name) came through the crowd and and squatted beside me. "You had us scared there for a second, kid. We thought you'd come back up but you didn't."

I wasn't paying much attention to what he was saying exactly, since my head was still spinning. But I was still confused about something. "How come? How long was I down there?" I asked.

"A good minute or somethin'." Coach stood. "Can you get up?"

I stood shakily. Luke was reaching out but thought otherwise. "But how?" I asked, "I mean... I tried coming back up but I was stuck there."

Coach patted my shoulder. "That, my dear, is a question for the kid who dived in behind you."

I tucked a strand of wet hair behind my ears as he spoke. Then I noticed Percy behind the crowd, drying off his hair with a towel, again.

"That reminds me." Coach turned to Mark, who was hiding in the back, looking shaken and guilty. "Mark La Rue." He flinched as he heard his name. The crowd parted away from him.

"You're off the team." the coach announced, "Rule number one in this place: safety. Pushing someone into a pool? You should've know better."

Mark didn't seem surprised at this. Maybe he was expecting that. He only nodded and responded quietly, "Yes, Coach."

Looking satisfied, Coach Ross set a hand on my back and steered me forward. "C'mon, kid," he said kindly, "Go dry up. We'll call the office to get someone to pick you up."

I nodded and crossed my arms over my chest, it really was freezing despite the steam coming from the heaters. I heard Coach yelling behind me, shooing the guys away. "Go home! Don't you have tests to study for?"

I pushed open the door the change room, but shut it quickly as a cold gust of wind came in from the hallway. I stumbled back, shivering. Something warm and dry wrapped around my shoulders. I turned as found Percy with a goofy grin on his face. "Thought you might need it." He said.

I wrapped the towel tighter. "Thanks." I muttered.

I stood there for a while as he packed his bag. Other people have already left. Reluctantly, I took off the towel and held it out. "Do you need this?"

"S'not mine. Just a spare set on the side." He stood up and smiled, "Don't forget to give it back though. Coach counts his stuff everyday."

I cracked a smile, "I never forget stuff."

"Oh, you mean like standing so close to the pool especially when you weren't even supposed to be in here?"

I shifted my weight uncomfortably, "I really did look stupid, huh?"

"Stupid?" He chuckled, "More like hilarious." I punched his arm playfully and he held up his hands. "Alright, I'm kidding." he said with a laugh, "But it's not everyday you get to see someone fall into a pool."

I squeezed my towel even tighter. "Thank you." I said quietly, looking down at my soaked shoes.

Percy looked uncomfortable at that. "Well, it wasn't much... I mean," he scratched his head, "We were all pretty worried. I was just the first to jump in."

"No, really," I felt my face heating up again, "Thank you. I owe you one."

Percy looked even more uncomfortable. But he managed a smile.

"Annabeth!"

I turned to see Luke walking towards us, waving something in his hand. He was grinning like the way he does when he pulls a prank or steals from a teacher. "Annabeth," he panted when he got to us, holding out something to me, "I thought you might want something dry to wear. But I kind of had to break in Thalia's locker for it."

It was a pair of sweatpants that Thalia wore to Phys. Ed. I was really grateful. "Thanks, Luke." I said, taking it from him, "But I could've just went by myself. I know her combination." I almost slapped my hand over my mouth at that point, just for the looks both of them gave me.

"She told you her combo?" Percy asked ridiculously while Luke had a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Don't you even think about it." I warned. Then I backed away into the change room quickly before something comes up in those freakishly misguided minds.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later, I was standing at Goode High's front door, waiting for my dad to pick me up, and looking like a mess.<p>

I found my gym shirt in my bag (which had luckily been left out of mess). I was wearing Thalia's sweatpants, which were clearly a couple sizes too big for me. I found an elastic band to tie together the lose waistband so it should hold up for the time being. But the fabric knot stuck out in the back like a bunny's tail.

I ran my fingers through my tangled blonde hair. Hoping that would smooth it up a bit, instead it got knotted even more.

A cool breeze passed by and I shuddered. It was the end of September. The sun was still warm and welcoming. But my damp hair kept away the heat. I closed my eyes and spun around, trying to absorb as much of the sunset warmth as possible, just as a shadow blocked it away.

I frowned, "Go away, cloud." I said unconsciously.

"What?"

My eyes snapped open. For a millisecond there, I actually thought the cloud talked.

"Percy?" I blinked a few times to focus, "You're still here?"

"Yeah,' He responded, watching me carefully, "and I'm not a cloud, either."

I started playing with the laces on my backpack. "Yeah...I was...zoned out."

"I can tell." He flopped down onto a bench nearby. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head on the side of the pool or something? This is not like you."

I paced along the rail of the sidewalk with perfect balance. Doing twists and turns every few steps. I would've done a flip that I learned from gymnastics lessons before we moved here if it weren't for the fact that my pants might fall off. I came to a stop in front of Percy.

"I feel like something's missing, you know?" I said as I sat down beside him.

He scowled like that was bothering him, but only to conclude with a shrug. I sighed.

"What happened down there anyways?" I asked.

He didn't answer.

"I think I got stuck on something." I continued, "I think it was a button on my shirt or my shoelaces. Maybe it got caught on a hook at the bottom."

Percy grimaced at the word "hook". But straightened his expression when he noticed that I was watching him.

"You're not normal, either." I stated, "Is something wrong?"

He paused. Then shook his head.

"You're not usually the silent one." I said, scooching closer, "I'm the silent one. You don't listen to anything, basically."

Silence.

"So I guess you're just going to remain silent. Okay, well-"

"It was your anklet." He said suddenly, startling me.

"What?"

"Your anklet," he turned to me, his eyes tense, "It got caught on one of the safety hooks at the bottom. That's why you can't come back up."

I stared at him for a second before rolling up the left leg of the sweatpants.

The anklet was a hand-made birthday present I got from my mom for my seventh birthday. It was also the last thing I got from her. I remember wearing it on my head as a tiara when I first got it. Mom had laughed at me and took it away. Saying that she would give it back when I can actually wear it. She never got the chance to. I had found it when we were clearing out her old study room when Dad found a new wife. I was ten then.

That was the first time I looked at it carefully. There were five little charms, spaced evenly by tiny silver beads, held together only by one piece of delicate gold thread, tied in a knot at the end. Simple as that. One of the charms was a silver owl. And it was probably the most important one to me. It was her favorite animal. She actually tried to get one as her pet when she was younger.

I wore that anklet from then on, seeing that it was the only thing that kept her with me. I never took it off. And as the time goes, I forgot it was even there.

Now it's really not there.

I looked up at Percy, horrified. "Where is it?"

He opened his mouth to answer but I was way ahead of him. "Did you drop it somewhere or...if you don't remember we can just retrace your steps from-"

"Annabeth."

I paused. He looked down guiltily. "Didn't you hear me? It got caught on one of the safety hooks. I can't get it off."

I suddenly got a twisted feeling in my stomach. "Oh no...but you can't-"

"You were running out of time." He said, locking eyes with me, "I had to break it or you'll just drown."

"Percy, you don't understand." I was standing up, "My mom gave it to me. That was her last present."

"I know, Annabeth and I'm sorry." He stood up, and now he's looming over me. "But you're way more important than-"

"That was the last trace of personal memory and now it's at the bottom of some filthy swimming pool?" I fumed, "I want it back!"

"You can't just say that. I had to break it in order to-"

_Beeeep_. We were interrupted my a car horn. I grabbed my stuff from the bench and stormed towards the car. I felt Percy's glaring eyes on me as I walked.

"Oh, so it's my fault that I wanted to save your life?"

But I was already running.

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><p><strong>AN: it is now 10:53 on a school night and I am DONE! Awesome.<strong>

**So a bit of twist there. I sort of combined the bead necklace with the owl earrings. So, uh, it was weird...but it make sense.**

**Next chapter is probably going to be posted at the end of this week or the beginning of next. I'm not sure. School isn't getting easier. So Weekends are my only chances of updates now. Sorry...**

**Anyways, hope you liked it. If you do...or don't, please send it as an review. It means a lot to me. So review!**

**Thanks for being patient**

**~Sayuri**


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